"The Little White Christmas Church of San Marino was a work of art, a Christmas gem, a civic jewel!" A local columnist wrote that in 1954. The San Marino Tribune later quoted the line from San Marino Historical Society records. The "church" started as a holiday display at the old train-depot waiting house, and later versions were attached to a bus shelter on Huntington Drive. It had a practical job, which was to get people walking along Huntington Drive again.
The job hasn't changed. San Marino's 2026 holiday season is still organized around that one stretch of road. On Friday, Dec. 4, the city lights its tree at the bus stop. On Saturday morning, Dec. 5, a holiday market opens at the Community Center, also on Huntington Drive. Last year the people running that market promoted it at the tree lighting the night before. The town's season runs along a commercial corridor because it was built for that in 1951.
A Christmas display invented to fill a sidewalk
According to the Tribune's history, the San Marino Business and Professional Association created the Little Christmas Church in 1951. The association later became the Chamber of Commerce. The train line along Huntington Drive had been removed earlier that year, and the merchants wanted a Christmas attraction that would bring foot traffic back to the street. The first decorated house went up at the former train-depot waiting house. Its first two themes were Hansel and Gretel and Santa's workshop.
The house has been rebuilt several times since then:
- 1951. The Business and Professional Association puts up the first display at the old depot waiting house.
- Three years later. Paul Cunningham, a resident who managed a bank branch on Huntington Drive, asks architect and fellow resident Herbert Powell to design a version with removable parts that can be stored and reused. Powell also designed Stoneman and Carver schools, the city's identification marker, and the original San Marino library and high schools.
- November 1964. The wooden structure is too worn to go up safely, so the Chamber starts a "Save Our Christmas Church Fund." Residents give $600. One $5 gift comes from a 7-year-old who had been saving for a Beatles album.
- 1966. Architect Fred Turton and engineer George Wilkerson remake Powell's design in steel and aluminum.
- Fall 2021. The City Council directs staff to help look after the house. Staff work with representatives of the former Chamber, the Rotary Club of San Marino and the Old Guard. The city's "Home for the Holidays" event starts in December 2022.
The upkeep has always been shared. Over the decades, business owners, church members, the Chamber, the City Club, the Rotary Club and high school service clubs all helped. Eventually the city took over storing and transporting the parts.
Friday, Dec. 4, at the corner across from City Hall
The City of San Marino's events page lists this year's Home for the Holidays Tree Lighting Ceremony and Mayor's Reception for Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue. The city's Dec. 4, 2026 calendar confirms the date and time. The city says the evening pays tribute to "the 74-year legacy of the beloved Holiday House Bus Shelter." The program has Santa arriving on a fire truck, a countdown to the tree lighting, cookies, hot cocoa and a holiday craft.
The Tribune has described the house's spot as the northwest corner of Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard. Its 2025 preview simply called it "the bus stop across from City Hall." The city's listed meeting point for the event is the corner of Huntington and San Marino Avenue.
The house you'll see is the Old Guard's version. The Old Guard is a group of former San Marino High School parents who plan the school's Grad Night each year. In a Tribune feature on the rebuild, volunteers built the parts off site and assembled them at the corner the weekend before that year's event. The new house is a free-standing wooden rectangle with a gingerbread theme. It sits outside the bus stop instead of being attached to it like earlier versions. Old Guard member Will Rose cut out the gingerbread figure, peppermints, candy canes, lollipops and gumdrops, and other members painted them. Contractor and Old Guard member Paul Callahan told the Tribune the house was built to "residential construction grade" so it could stand outside for about six weeks of weather.
As in 1951, the house was meant to be seen from the street. Longtime Old Guard member Bob Horgan described the Saturday it went up to the Tribune: "the cars going by were honking their horns, little kids were waving, people were giving a thumbs up."
At last year's event, held Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, the Tribune reported that the house also served as an official mail drop for letters to Santa. The San Marino Fire Department set out a bin for its toy drive, and registration wasn't required. Those were the 2025 details. The city's 2026 listing covers Santa, the tree, the treats and the craft.
Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1800 Huntington Drive
The next morning, the San Marino Public Library Foundation holds the second Once Upon a Shoppe at the San Marino Community Center. The city calendar lists it from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Community Center is at 1800 Huntington Drive. As of this writing, the Foundation's site is still inviting artisans and businesses to apply as vendors.
The market is in only its second year, and it took the same approach as the 1951 merchants. The Tribune's 2025 year in review reported that the first Once Upon a Shoppe, on Dec. 6, 2025, had 14 vendors selling ornaments, wooden toys, jewelry, ceramics and crocheted accessories, with proceeds going to Crowell Public Library. Board President Su Viswanathan said the European-style market had been years in the making. Volunteers promoted it at the Home for the Holidays tree lighting the night before, which helped bring in steady attendance.
The library's season starts earlier. The Friends of Crowell Public Library hold their Cookbook Sale this Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's on the city's November calendar along with the library's regular programs. City Hall and the library are closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day.
The Huntington's calendar sets the weekends around it
The Huntington runs on its own schedule, and that schedule determines which weekends are busy. Its visitor page lists regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Monday. It's closed Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays and during two peak periods this season: Thanksgiving, Nov. 20–29, and Winter Holidays and New Year, Dec. 18, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. Adult admission is $29 Monday through Thursday and $34 Friday through Sunday, on holidays and during peak seasons. Members get in free.
The city's Dec. 4 and 5 weekend falls between those two peak periods.
The Huntington's own holiday shopping day comes first. The Huntington Holiday Market is Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's a free public event, but capacity is limited. Vendors set up at the Huntington Store, Rose Hills Garden Court, Rothenberg Patio and Haaga Hall. Pasadena's Salted Butter Company will run five stations in Rothenberg Plaza: pastries and coffee, pies and savory items, giftable treats, cakes, and floral décor. Its pastry made with the Huntington's orange marmalade goes on sale at the bakery starting Friday, Nov. 6. The vendor list includes The Brigg, which makes leather goods in Los Angeles; Happy Organics, which hand-makes beeswax candles in Los Angeles; and Muffy Glass, which makes handblown vases. Ahma Coffee will pour a coffee omakase of three seasonal tastings.
If you're planning a weekday visit with out-of-town guests, here's what's on view and what's closing:
- "Stories from the Library: Damaged Goods" and "The Mirror of the Moon" close Nov. 30, 2026.
- "This Land Is …" runs through Jan. 11, 2027.
- "Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead" and "Doyle Lane: Master of Clay" both run through March 1, 2027.
The Library exhibition halls are closed during construction on the Huntington's Library/Art Building project. The Huntington expects to reopen them to the public in spring 2029.
The season, by date
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Salted Butter's marmalade pastry goes on sale | The Huntington bakery | Uses the Huntington's orange marmalade |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Friends of Crowell Public Library Cookbook Sale | San Marino | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | City Hall and library closed for Veterans Day | San Marino | Closure |
| Nov. 20–29 | Thanksgiving peak season | The Huntington | Reservations required |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Huntington Holiday Market | Store, Rose Hills Garden Court, Rothenberg Patio, Haaga Hall | 10 a.m.–6 p.m., free, limited capacity |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Last day for two exhibitions | The Huntington | "Damaged Goods" and "The Mirror of the Moon" |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Home for the Holidays Tree Lighting and Mayor's Reception | Huntington Dr. and San Marino Ave. | 5–7 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Once Upon a Shoppe | Community Center, 1800 Huntington Dr. | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 18–Jan. 3 | Winter Holidays and New Year peak season | The Huntington | Reservations required |
The 1951 merchants put up a Christmas display to get people walking from the depot to the shops. In 2026, the same stretch of Huntington Drive holds the city's tree lighting on Friday evening and the library's market on Saturday morning.
Part of what gives a home in San Marino its value is being close to traditions like this. If the Holiday House going up has you wondering what your own home is worth this season, Megan Spargo-Ferrell & Team can prepare a thoughtful valuation, and we'll be happy to compare notes on the tree lighting while we're at it.
